Best of Blood and Thunder: Each year, one entry from each category: Prose, Visual Arts, and Poetry, is selected
as the best entry of its type for that issue. Selection criteria includes
how well the work demonstrates common themes or experiences in health care and
the overall quality of the work. Winners will be selected from the accepted
works in each category for each issue.

Major C.W. Ouffut Award: In 2002, the Veterans Administration Medical Center on the OU Health Sciences Center campus instituted a new award for medical students, the Major C.W. Offutt Award. This award is designed to promote care, humanism, and understanding of people who have given a portion of their lives in the service of our country in one of the military services and who are now receiving medical care from the Veterans Healthcare Administration. The award is given on the basis of a paper written about the meaning students derived from taking care of America’s Servicemen and Servicewomen.

2014

Book Cover Winner – "Ovarian Cyst Rupture" by June Nissinen

June A. Nissinen is a resident artist in eastern Oregon, presently working in the Memory Care Community for Summit Springs Village. She is active as 'Historian' for the Gilliam County Historical Society & Depot Museum Complex. June recently completed her own short stories titled 'Anthologies Of Short Stories' which can be found on Blurb.com For 'Days of Culture' Oct. 2nd-4th 2014, June had an art show that featured seven years of art with OU Blood & Thunder Musing on the Art of Medicine in Gilliam County, Oregon. "Ovarian Cyst Rupture" can be viewed in our Online Gallery.

Best of Visual Art – "If You Only Knew" by Alyssa Logsdon

Alyssa Logsdon is from Alva, Oklahoma and received her undergraduate from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She is currently a student at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in the graduating class of 2015. "If You Only Knew" can be viewed in our Online Gallery.

Best of Poetry – "Late Night Thoughts in the Hospital" by Julie Cyr

Julie is a native New Englander born in Maine, raised in Vermont, and now lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and two sons. She has been published by Smoky Quartz, Five 2 One Magazine, and Wild Minds. As well as being a writer, Julie also teaches yoga. She holds a BA in English and was recently accepted into the MFA - Creative Writing program at Lesley University. The poems that appear in Blood and Thunder are based on her personal experience with hospitalization five years ago. "Late Night Thoughts in the Hospital" is featured in our Online Gallery.

Best of Prose – "It" by Genevieve Wong

Genevieve Wong is pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Fiction) at the City University of Hong Kong to fulfill a childhood dream to be a writer. Several of her stories have been published by The Quarterly Literary Review Singapore and Math Paper Press.In her other lives, she is an educator, civil servant and a volunteer museum guide. "It" is featured in our Online Gallery.

Major C.W. Ouffut Award – N/A

2013

Book Cover Winner – “18 Gauge De Stijl” by Brett Stout

Best of Visual Art – “Let it Be Me” by Alyssa Logsdon, MSIII

Best of Poetry – “The Cork” by Ethel Durica

Best of Prose – “Tree Cutting” by Mario Garcia, M.A.

Major C.W. Ouffut Award – “Separate Battles” Sarah Petty, MSIV

2012

Book Cover Winner – “Diagnosis in Stasis” Robert Ferrier

Best of Visual Art – Information is unknown at this time…

Best of Poetry – “This is how I want to die” Dane Kuttler

Best of Prose – “Snow Week” Calla Devlin

Major C.W. Ouffut Award - Information is unknown at this time…

2011

Book Cover Winner – “Spinal Fusion C6-C7” June Nissinen

Best of Visual Art - “Spinal Fusion C6-C7” June Nissinen

Best of Poetry – “Clinical Colors” Jenna Rindo

Best of Prose – “Stutter” Jake Wolf

Major C.W. Ouffut Award - Information is unknown at this time…

2010

Book Cover Winner – “Mind Dementia” June Nissinen

Best of Visual Art - Information is unknown at this time…

Best of Poetry - “H&P Haiku: An annotated Lesson from three points of view” Steve Orwig, MD